24 Hours in Lucca, Italy: what to see and do

Well hello to you my reader chums! Italy will forever have my heart; the cuisine and culture bring me so much joy - I absolutely love it. On my trip around Tuscany, I also stopped off at Lucca for a day and it's become one of my favourite places ever. Lucca to me was like the more humble and quiet Florence with the same cobbled streets and beautiful architecture.

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24 Hours in Lucca, Italy

The main city of Lucca is located in city walls which makes the location even cooler. In the walls, you'll find intertwined cobbles streets, rustic restaurants, sights to see, and even nicer people to speak to. Out of all the places I visited in Tuscany, it was the least touristy and that's what gave it the authentic vibe I fell in love with.

I arrived in Lucca late morning and after checking into the hotel, had the entire day to explore. Lucca isn't huge so you can easily fit all the sights in one day and soak up the hidden gems too.

24 Hours in Lucca, Italy


What to see and do 

Get a feel of the city - My favourite thing to do in Lucca was to explore every single corner possible. It's one of those places where every turn you make, it's all beautiful.  I easily found myself spending hours walking around, admiring the city and chatting - it's the perfect thing to do, whoever you may be with (even if you're a solo traveller.)

Torre Guinigi - If you read through my guides to Tuscany then you may have realised I did a lot of climbing towers and up tall buildings throughout our trip to get a view of the city. This tower was on my list but we came across it as we were browsing the city. As I went up the tower, it has that traditional look and true Italian vibe of a building - and the view is even better. There's something so amazing about seeing an entire city up high.

Piazza dell'Anfiteatro - One of the most iconic squares (well circles) in Lucca was this one. The oval-shaped area is filled with restaurants, cafes, and shops - and makes for the cutest place to dine at night.

24 Hours in Lucca, Italy

Palazzo Pfanner - I love visiting a palace and learning about the history that I couldn't miss this one in Lucca. Dating back to 1667, the palace is now converted into a museum of arts and artifacts with a beautifully manicured garden at the back. I loved this palace a lot as it wasn't over the top but grand in its own way, and hidden away that you wouldn't think it had such a significant meaning.


Chiesa di San Michele in Foro - Piazza San Michele is a beautiful square and has a cathedral in the middle of it which you're able to go in. The square has plenty of restaurants and cafes nearby to stop off and admire its beauty.

24 Hours in Lucca, Italy

Where to stay

Lucca is quite a small city that wherever you stay, you're able to get to the main part quite easily whether that's by foot or taxi. My hotel, La Bella Addormentata, and Prince Calaf were located out of the city walls and about a 10-15 minute walk away. It was in the ideal location as the area was residential and quiet but we were close enough to explore the main sights. Also, the breakfast here was incredible - there was literally everything you'd need in a buffet spread. The small city has plenty of other hotels too if you'd like to be a bit closer to the main sights.

Where to eat

La Cranceria - Pizza is everything in Italy and when we were there, we had it for lunch every single day. Ths pizza shop serves up a variety of pizza flavours for as cheap as 2 Euro per slice and it's honestly so delicious! It had my favourite ever tomato sauce on a pizza and I'm certainly craving it right now as I type this post.

24 Hours in Lucca, Italy

Matta gelato - Italy is the place where gelato is born and this was my favourite gelato place in Lucca. I had both chocolate and stracciatella and it tasted like top-quality ice cream.

24 Hours in Lucca, Italy

Piazza dell'Anfiteatro - Even though this square is probably one of the most touristy places and the food isn't as authentic, it's a perfect spot for night time dining when all the restaurants are lit up.

How to get there 

Lucca is really easy to get to. You can either get the train from nearby cities including Florence, Pisa or Siena, or drive to the city (but just make sure your hotel has parking). I went from Pisa to Lucca which only took half an hour on the train.

I hope you enjoyed this post! Are you planning to visit Lucca?

Thank you for reading <3

1 comment

  1. I was looking for your Tuscany post I remembered I wanted to check that one but found this instead. So Luca It seems like a connecting point and explore on the moment kind of a place. Pizza every day! Haha. Liked the point that the place looks nice in evening when all is lit. Promoted the region nicely. <3
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